Arene cis-dihydrodiols-useful precursors for the preparation of antimetabolites of the shikimic acid pathway: application to the synthesis of 6,6-difluoroshikimic acid and (6S)-6-fluoroshikimic acid

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.tet.2006.03.029

The synthesis of 6,6-difluoroshikimic acid (11) has been achieved in ten steps from the enantiopure diol 16, which is derived from enzymatic cis-dihydroxylation of iodobenzene. The versatility of the synthetic strategy has been demonstrated by the preparation of the known antimicrobial agent, (6S)-6-fluoroshikimic acid (5).